Football's offside rule, explained
Being in an offside position is not an offence on its own. The rule is about where a player is when a teammate plays the ball, and what they do next.
Photo: ABORISADEADETONA / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Offside is set out in Law 11 of the Laws of the Game, written by the International Football Association Board. It decides more goals than almost any other rule, and it is often misunderstood.
The offside position
A player is in an offside position if any part of their head, body or feet is in the opponents' half and closer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. The goalkeeper usually counts as the last opponent, so in practice the line is often set by the last outfield defender.
Hands and arms do not count, for attackers or defenders. A player who is level with the second-last opponent, or level with the ball, is onside.
When it becomes an offence
Standing in an offside position is not punished. A player is penalised only if, at the moment a teammate plays or touches the ball, they are in that position and then become involved in active play, for example by playing the ball, blocking a defender's line of sight or challenging an opponent for the ball.
When offside does not apply
- A player cannot be offside in their own half.
- There is no offside offence if the player receives the ball directly from a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick.
The penalty is an indirect free kick to the defending team from where the offence happened. In competitions that use video assistant referees, lines drawn on replays help officials judge close calls.
